Jeremy Renner is no stranger to high-stakes action, but nothing could prepare the Avengers actor for the life-altering snowplow accident he survived in January 2023. The actor recently admitted that while unconscious and critically injured, he felt such profound peace that he “didn’t want to come back.”
Jeremy Renner, known for his role as Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, suffered devastating injuries when he was run over by a seven-ton snowplow on New Year’s Day near his Nevada home. Now, over a year later, Renner is reflecting on the life-changing ordeal and the spiritual awakening that followed.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, the actor shared intimate details about the moments after he was crushed by a 14,000-pound snowplow and his long road to recovery. While promoting his new memoir, My Next Breath, he described the surreal peace he felt after his near-death experience, a feeling so powerful that he initially resisted returning to his body.
“It’s a wonderful relief to be removed from your body. It is the most exhilarating peace you could ever feel,” Renner said. “I didn’t want to come back. I remember, and I was brought back and I was so pissed off.” The accident, which left him with more than 30 broken bones and critical injuries, forced Renner into a long and painful recovery. Yet in that trauma, the actor found clarity. “It makes me, a man that didn’t want to come back, really be able to be back here and live on my terms,” he told the outlet.
Renner’s memoir reflects the importance of each breath he took while waiting for help to arrive, a harrowing 45 minutes in freezing temperatures. Renner shared that he felt he was in a realm where time wasn’t linear. “You’re the atoms of who you are. The DNA. Your spirit… It’s so magical,” he explained.
His book, My Next Breath, was released in April 2025.
